Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport joins FanSided Mark Verderame as writers to not quite believe in the 2019 Arizona Cardinals.
The addition of Kliff Kingsbury along with the signing of Jordan Hicks, Terrell Suggs, and Robert Alford and others don’t seem to be enough for the Arizona Cardinals to return to competitive form in 2019, at least according to Bleacher Report writer Gary Davenport.
In Davenport’s recent article “2019 NFL Schedule Release: Win-Loss Predictions for Every Team,” he wrote that the Cardinals wouldn’t entirely rebound from their 3-13 2018 season. Instead of being competitive again, he had the Cards competing with the Dolphins for the No. 1 overall pick by going 4-12, which would tie them for last in the NFC for a second straight season.
Here is Davenport’s reasoning for his predicted lowly record for the 2019 Cardinals;
"There’s growing chatter that the Cardinals will similarly punt on quarterback Josh Rosen after one season in favor of drafting Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray with that first pick. Murray’s an intriguing prospect and incredibly athletically gifted, but if he does wind up in the Valley of the Sun, he’s going to find out the hard way something Rosen already knows: There’s not a lot on the roster around him."
Although the Cardinals have a tough record that includes a brutal six-game stretch (Los Angeles Rams twice, Seahawks, revamped Browns), I peg the team for finishing with a better record than 4-12.
I don’t have the Cardinals as a playoff team yet, but their 14 veteran additions, hiring of an offensive-minded head coach, and ownership of some great picks lead me to believe they will at least be more competitive than 4-12.
Yes, the offensive depth chart needs to be improved, but I expect that to be done through the draft. And yes, Kliff Kingsbury will mean yet another head coach, but the Cardinals are an improved team and have respected veteran talent. Adding starters across the board to the defense and reverting to a familiar 3-4 scheme should be good starts to return the defense to competitive form.
However, at this time of the off-season (pre-draft) win-loss predictions tend to lack reliability. The draft will help us see exactly what the roster will look like, and in the case of the Cardinals, that statement couldn’t be more accurate. The team could either be led by a new quarterback, or may have a new star on defense, or they may go another way with a trade. Either way, we don’t know.
Luckily, the draft will be here in just five days. Whether or not we see the Oklahoma quarterback or a defensive standout will be solved very soon.